Among the other things she claimed for was £12,900 for additional employment losses, £11,268 for care costs, £950 for homeopathic remedies, £3,700 for gardening and DIY, and £2,000 for extra heating because she was housebound.

Solicitor Tim Marshall, of DWF Law, which acted for the car centre and its insurers, said: "Mrs Thomas painted a picture of being a very disabled woman as a result of this. She said she couldn’t leave the house without a walking stick, drink a cup of tea or clean her teeth.

"But a surveillance firm hired to follow her found that she was walking fine and there was no sign of any physical impairment – no walking stick, nothing."

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